The La Belle Shipwreck

Texas State History Museum

2014

The discovery of La Belle—Robert de La Salle’s flagship—off the coast of Texas in 1995 is regarded as one of the most important archaeological finds of the 20th century.

A major excavation undertaken by the state of Texas recovered the entire shipwreck and over one million artifacts. Following a nearly twenty-year conservation effort, La Belle is now the centerpiece of the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum. Through this series of interactive stations museum visitors can discover the ship’s history, learn about its recovery and conservation, and explore many of these unique artifacts.

Behind the scenes, an extensive content management system allows museum staff to edit and expand content in the stations, and also track detailed user analytics of each station and content module.